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Johnson ready for Master defense

• Zach Johnson came out of nowhere last year to win the Masters. This year, he finds himself in the spotlight.

Scott Chancey

Zach Johnson continues to find himself in a new light.

The 2007 Masters champion who seemingly came out of nowhere last year, beating Tiger Woods, Retief Goosen and Rory Sabbatini for the coveted green jacket, did everything from being on David Letterman’s Top 10 countdown to meeting Oprah.

When the Iowa native participated in a recent Masters teleconference, he hopes he can make the victory rounds again.

“2007 was a pretty awesome year starting with our firstborn (a son named Will), and then obviously highlighted by our first win in a major and that being the Masters champion is a dream come true,” said Johnson, who won with a 1-over-par 289, tying the record for highest winning score at Augusta National Golf Club.

Johnson, being the defending champion, also has to host the Champions Dinner and even organize the menu serving past winners. While there, however, the dinner is a sidenote to what he will experience while talking to legends such as Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player.

“If that’s the case, I know I’m just going to be a fly on the wall, kind of a sponge, just soak it all in and listen,” Johnson said. “I’m excited.

That’s a lifetime dream right there and knowing that I’ll be able to go back to that meal til, well, whenever, is pretty special.”

Johnson, who has an Albany connection (Albany native and current Nationwide Tour player Josh Broadaway earned his first professional victory against Johnson while on the Hooters Tour), has only two PGA Tour wins (2004 BellSouth Classic and last year’s AT&T Classic), making him the least-accomplished Masters winner since Augusta native Larry Mize won it in 1987.

One of the keys to Johnson’s win last year was scoring 11 under par on the par 5’s. That, however, also reveals that Johnson was 12 over during the other holes. With that in mind, he knows he has to find a happy medium during the four rounds this year.

“If (the course) is fast and firm, you know, the par 5’s are birdieable because you can wedge it close,” Johnson said. “But if it’s soft, a lot of these guys, especially long hitters, they can be more aggressive into the other holes. I think it becomes imperative to score well on those other holes.

“Now for me, personally,” he added. “I’ve got to score well on the par 5’s. The course is so long and it has become very much an approach-shot golf course in my opinion, that the more wedges I can get in my hands, the better off I can score.”

One other key for Johnson, as all other golfers especially on the final day, will be how well he can handle the pressure. Johnson did not lose his composure after Woods — who was going for his fifth green jacket last year — eagled while in a different group. He credits his mental game to Sea Island sports psychologist Morris Pickens.

“... I think what separates some of those mediocre players from even some of the elite players is the mental game,” Johnson said. “There’s that knack, there’s that mental strength and certainly experience at times, but that competitive drive and mental toughness separate the field.”

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